Once you have booked the wedding date, your wedding planning to-do list will be full steam ahead. Wedding save the date cards may well be one of the first items on your to-do list. Possibly with a question mark. Whilst not mandatory they are a very useful way of making sure your guests are available for your wedding date. I know from experience that the earlier you can let your guests know of your wedding date, the more likely they are to be able to attend. I chose not to send wedding save the date cards when I got married. As a result some of my most important guests had already booked their holidays. Here are a few useful reasons why you should send wedding save the date cards.
What is the purpose of a wedding save the date card?
A save the date card is essentially alerting your guests that they are invited to your wedding and a formal wedding invitation will follow. Your guests can mark the date on their busy calendars. This allows them to make plans around your wedding date and avoid double booking. Let’s face it, who doesn’t have a busy schedule these days (well, in normal times which are coming)? Many people book both personal and professional dates and events well in advance. The more notice you can give your guests the more likely they are to be able to attend. Wedding save the date cards are also particularly useful if the wedding is abroad or your guests will need to travel. This allows them extra time to make arrangements.
When should we send our wedding save the dates?
Save the date cards can be sent as soon as you have booked your wedding date and confirmed your venue. If you have booked your wedding date a long time in advance and would like to wait a little, then a good time scale would be 12-18 months before your wedding to send save the date cards. Bear in mind that you will need to have a confirmed guest list before sending wedding save the dates. Once a save the date card is sent, your guest will expect a formal invitation to follow so you can’t un-invite them at this stage! My advice would be to only send them to those you know you 100% want at your wedding. You can always add to the list as you go.
What information should you include on wedding save the date cards?
The great thing about save the date cards is that you can keep them simple. As mentioned earlier, this is simply to notify your guests that they are invited to your wedding and should save the date in their diary. Your names, wedding date, and the location are sufficient. It is important to mention the location if the wedding is going to be abroad or if your guests will need to travel. However, some couples like to keep the venue secret for a little longer. If you plan to send wedding save the date cards to both day and evening guests you should also specify this on the card to avoid any confusion at a later date. My advice would be to send save the dates to your day guests initially and then consider the evening guests a little later on.
Can’t we just send wedding invitations really early and not send save the date cards?
Quite often a lot of information will need to be included in a wedding invitation. It will need to include the venue, time of ceremony, possibly menu options, local accommodation, gift information, RSVP card with reply date etc. (For more help with this click here.) Much of the information that needs to be included may not have been finalised at the early stages of planning. It is also possible that you may not have finalised your wedding colour scheme. This would need to be reflected in your invitations. It is not essential to show your wedding style and colours in your save the date cards. If necessary they can be made in neutral colours. This also adds to the anticipation of receiving the actual wedding invitation.
Brides prerogative
So you have booked your wedding date and the excitement is building. You want the whole world to know you are getting married. You are probably simply just too excited and can’t wait to share your wedding date with your guests. This is a perfect reason to send wedding save the date cards! This will also build up more excitement and anticipation for the wedding as your guests will eagerly await formal invitations.
We are planning for a brighter future
Whilst save the date cards are not as essential as your wedding invitations, they are very useful. It is the perfect way to ensure you have your most important guests at your wedding. With the postponement of many weddings throughout 2020 and now 2021 due to COVID-19, the future is looking extremely busy for weddings once they return. Making sure your guests save the date for your wedding in advance has never been so important as we all begin to catch up on the holidays and events we have missed. We are all keen to plan and fill up our diaries again with exciting things to look forward to. Now more than ever we want to be surrounded by our family and friends so don’t leave it to chance. Send a wedding save the date card!
Let’s get planning and looking forward.
‘We absolutely love our Save The Day cards that Lisa made for us. We chose a lavender theme and Lisa is going to work with us to incorporate lavender into the place settings on the day. The service was amazing, Lisa is so friendly and we are so excited to send the cards out 
‘ – Kerry & Richard
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